Chinese escort warships open for public visit

08:17, January 04, 2013

Four major escort warships, namely Qingdao, Zhoushan, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, of China's three naval fleets were open for public visit on Dec. 26 in order to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the country's first escort mission.

The four warships showed the modernization of the Chinese Navy, of which, Zhoushan is equipped with a vertical-launch air defense missile system and Qingdao is equipped with electronic warfare equipment comparable to that on third-generation warships.

Qingdao of the North Sea Fleet is a second-generation missile destroyer independently developed and produced by China. It has carried Chinese officials to visit foreign countries more than 20 times since it entered service in 1996. The warship conducted the first round-the-world voyage in the history of the Chinese Navy in 2002.

Zhoushan of the East Sea Fleet is a Type 054A missile frigate. It has great stealth capabilities, and is equipped with a vertical-launch air defense missile system, a powerful engine, and other advanced equipment. It has participated in two escort missions in the Gulf of Aden.

Guangzhou of the South Sea Fleet is China's newest Type 052B guided missile destroyer. It has strong anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-submarine capabilities, and has also participated in escort missions in the Gulf of Aden.

Shenzhen has carried Chinese officials to visit nearly 20 countries since it was commissioned into the South Sea Fleet in 1995. It sailed across the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic, and visited the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy for the first time in the history of the Chinese Navy in 2001.

Qingdao has been in service for a relatively long time, and was recently upgraded with homemade electronic warfare equipment comparable to that on third-generation warships.